


lost and found

by JustKeepWriting



Category: Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: F/M, M/M, emotional pain. angst. im gonna deliver, gender neutral reader, you know what venom x reader fanfics are missing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-02 15:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustKeepWriting/pseuds/JustKeepWriting
Summary: eddie brock has been missing for over a year. you never believed for a second that he was dead, but his absence left an undeniable ache in your heart. however, one fateful night, he does return to you. what happened to him over his disappearance, was far worse than you could’ve ever imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been a long day. 

Your desk job is the definition of soul-sucking. Endless hours of typing and editing, stuck in the same cubicle for nearly nine hours. You suppose, it’s partially your fault. You asked for overtime, and overtime you got. Working was an escape. Working was an excuse. Working was a coping mechanism. 

It kept you from returning to an empty bed at home. 

You stumble through the doorway, shutting the door behind. Kicking off your shoes, you went straight for the fridge. Rummaging around, you managed to find some leftovers. Pop it in the microwave, and it’s dinner. Nutritious. 

Watching the blinking green numbers countdown, you quietly muse to yourself this wasn’t a particularly healthy meal. You know he would’ve scolded you for this. He would’ve managed to go through your cupboards, and somehow whip up a dish from ingredients you had no idea was residing in your home. He would’ve seen how tired you were, lead you to the couch, and run his fingers through your hair. 

When you close your eyes, you can nearly just  _nearly_  feel his touch ghosting your head, tender and steady, grazing your scalp - 

The beeping of the microwave brings you back from fantasy. 

* * *

 

You flick on the TV, propping your legs up. Immediately you turn to the news.

After the first week of unanswered phone calls and text messages, you went to his apartment. Empty. Showed up at his work. No one had  _any_  clue where he was. You even went out of your way to contact his ex-wife. She had no idea of his whereabouts. No one did. A week turned into three. Three turned into two months. 

At that point, you already filed a missing persons report. After all, you were the only one who could. Nobody else  _cared_. And everyday since, you’ve kept an eye on the news, on the edge of your seat, waiting for the closure that would never be delivered.

His name wasn’t even mentioned in the papers. 

Whatever’s onscreen barely registered in your head. It’s just background noise at this point. Deep in your heart, you knew no one was going to talk about him. But, out of routine or grief, you turned on the news channels every night you came home, just in case. Just in case.

You robotically shove the food in your mouth. Dinner is gone within a few bites. It probably wasn’t enough, but you didn’t care. You’re tired. So tired. 

You sink into the couch, half watching the news. It’s the usual. News about insane supervillains and superhero escapades. Lately, there’s been a buzz. Or rather, hushed whispers about a new villain. Everyone calls it a monster. ‘ _Demon of San Fransisco_.’ You chuckle out loud. Eddie would think the nickname too flashy. 

Onscreen is shaky camera footage of a hulking black mass, wrecking havoc on some part in the city. Your interest is piqued for a bit. Not your average villain. It looks like something that crawled out of a nightmare. If Eddie was around, you were certain he would’ve covered this story in a heartbeat, no matter how dangerous the circumstances are.

‘ _Your determination’s gonna get you killed someday!_ ’ You half teased and warned him. He shushed you with a kiss on the lips. 

‘ _It’s gonna take a lot to put me down._ ’ He promised you. 

You wonder if that’s what happened. He tried searching for a story, but only found his end. Tears prickle at the corner of your eyes. 

Try not to think about it. 

* * *

You must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because you suddenly wake up to a loud crash. 

Your eyes fly open. Everything’s disorienting for a moment. You roll off the couch in your confusion, left to fumble in the dark. Managing to get to your feet, you see that the television is still on. Insipid informercials about frying pans and cleaning products are droning away onscreen. You press the power button. 

The TV shuts off, and you’re left in silence. 

You let out a huge yawn. Since it’s still dark in your apartment, you can say it’s still night time. Maybe you should go to your actual bed. It’d be easier on your back. Rubbing your head, you begin to shuffle your way to your bedroom. Just as your walking, a chill blows through you. You shiver, and turn your head.

The window’s open. You frown, moving closer. Did you leave it open? You examine the handles. Everything looks normal. You can’t tell, it’s really dark. Whatever. You’ll think about it in the morning. You shut the windows. 

Eager to return to slumber, you continue walking towards your bedroom. 

And that’s when you heard that terrible voice.

“ ** _Little…human…”_**

You freeze up. You’re jolted out of your sleepy daze. Chills go down your spine. Did you hear that? Did you really  _hear_  that? 

“… ** _help us_** …”

The voice - voices? - are closer this time. Right behind you. You’re paralyzed. Thousands of scenarios are running through your head. None of them register. 

But you turn around anyway. 

It’s a towering mass of powerful and inhuman muscles that would be impossible to attain on the average person’s body. Its head is a foot shy from hitting your ceiling. Scratch that, it is  _definitely_  tall enough to hit your ceiling, from the way it’s hunched over. What you think are its eyes - pale and pupilless - are staring directly at you. You can feel its stare. Your skin crawls just from thinking about it. 

Oh god, and it’s  _mouth_. That feature is the worst thing of all. Slavering and grinning, it’s stretched impossibly wide across it’s face. Rows upon rows of serrated teeth jut unevenly out its mouth. An impossibly long, prehensile tongue, undulates from its jaws, like a living creature of its own. You don’t even want to begin thinking how easily that monstrous mouth could chomp off your head. 

Somehow, you didn’t scream. Instead, you just stared. Something flicked off in your head, and now you’re glued in place, at the mercy of this unearthly creature. 

The monster leans in, so close you can smell its putrid breath. Smelled like rotting and blood. You gag, turning away. You take a huge step back, covering your face from this monstrosity. A childish instinct within you thinks if you just hide, this would somehow make the monster disappear. 

A growl - no, no, it sounds high pitched, soft,  _wounded_  even - rumbles from the monster’s chest. You flinch, bracing yourself for the worse. 

Then the monster collapses to the floor. It lands like deadweight. 

You’re petrified, not able to move for a good minute. The monster doesn’t either. It’s lying ever so still. Feeling returns to your legs. Did it…pass out? Summoning any ounce of strength deep within, you managed to approach the monster’s still form. 

You hear what you _think_ is breathing. It sounds labored and wet, like each breath the monster takes is a difficult action in itself. You frown, puzzled. Is it injured? Your eyes scour the floor, and you can make out dark puddles. Its blood? The monster - the Demon of San Fransisco - can  _bleed_?

You waste no time pondering upon this. You have to get out of here. Gingerly, you step over the monster and the blood, and then run like hell to the door. When you’re about to fling the door open to your escape, you hear its voice softly beckon you. 

“ ** _[Name]…_** ”

You stop, hand hovering above the doorknob. 


	2. the beast's embrace

Curiosity got the best of you.

“How do you know my name?” You whisper, unable to stop your voice from shaking.

The monster only whimpers in reply. It sounds like it’s in pain. That definitely explains all the blood. You linger halfway between fleeing or approaching the monster. Escape was tempting, but morbid curiosity had you stay. You’ve only seen this monster - Venom - on the news. There should be no possible way that the creature knows your name. Maybe you imagined it.

 _‘Chalk it up to hysteria, and just book the hell out of here,’_ your common sense demands.

However, against your conflicting thoughts, you find yourself slowly walking towards Venom’s barely conscious form.

“…Are you okay?” What a dense question. Obviously the monster wasn’t in good shape, from how much it’s bleeding. You reach out your hand. Perhaps it’s fear or stupid curiosity, but you choose to touch Venom’s skin.

Contrary to its oily black appearance, its skin feels surprisingly…smooth? It’s cool to the touch, sort of like slick rubber. You’re not sure why you’re surprised. What did you expect for its skin to feel like? You didn’t think a supervillain monster would break into your apartment.

Your racing thoughts are interrupted when Venom suddenly shifts over. It’s lying on its back now, staring straight at you. You yelp, and immediately scoot away. Much to your shock, it shoots out a clawed hand, grabbing you by the wrist.

_**“[Name]…sssstay…”** _

That ball of anxiety in your stomach grew, and you thickly swallow.

“How do you know my name?”

Venom goes quiet. No answer. It still hasn’t let go of your wrist, though. Its claws are so large, it easily encircled your entire wrist. How easy it would be for the monster to snap your arm like a twig. You desperately shove this horrid thought from your mind.

“What do you want from me?”

 _ **“Stay.”**_ It repeats, sounding faint.

Before you could ask anything else, Venom then goes slack. His grip on you loosens, and his head rolls to the side. You freeze up. Did it die? You didn’t even consider your next course of actions, you immediately put your ear to its chest. Its pec muscles are surprisingly cushy. An involuntary blush crosses your face when your hands brushed across its eight pack.

It has muscles beyond human definition, that’s one thing for sure. Why are you assuming it has a heart?

Surprisingly, you hear an unmistakeable beating. Its slow and rhythmic, reassuring you that life still pumps through the monster’s veins. Well, you guess that’s a relief. You don’t exactly want San Fransisco’s most infamous villain, dead in your apartment.

And you still need answers. How does it know you?

That small, sensible voice in the back of your hand, rages at you to just leave the monster. Escape the apartment, run to the police, superheroes, anybody who is equipped to deal with this mess. This shouldn’t be your problem. You shouldn’t put yourself in danger.

Your eyes sweep across Venom, contemplating what to do with it. Pity is bubbling in your chest. It really did sound like it was in pain, and for some reason, it seeked you out. How will you be able to explain that to the police? If anyone was going to get to the bottom of this mystery, it might as well be you.

Coming to a decision, you run off to your bathroom for extra towels and your first aid kit.

* * *

 

You mopped up the blood puddles and gently treated Venom’s wounds. It definitely isn’t human, far cry from it, so you weren’t exactly sure if whatever you’re doing was actually helpful. You couldn’t tell what caused the cuts, but whatever hurt Venom knew how to hurt it. The best you could do was bandage it up.

By the end of the ordeal, your clothes are stained with black blood and you’re three hours short on sleep. Just as you’re wondering how you were even going to move Venom’s body, it wakes up. When it sees you, it reaches out again, holding you by the hand this time.

 _ **“You…stayed…”**_ It growls softly.

You titter nervously, and flash an uneasy smile.

“Y-yeah. Uhh, I did my best. You were cut all over, so I bandaged you up here and there…” You trail off, not sure what to say next. It’s still awkwardly holding your hand, so tightly as if it never wanted to let go. Its claws are possessively curled around your entire hand, and you were sure it would crush the bones if it held any tighter.

“C-could you let go? My hand’s starting to - to hurt.” You ask in a low voice, not able to even look into its eyes.

It pauses. Then, it lets go, much to your relief. You nervously run your fingers through your hair. It’s been a long night. Such a long night.

“Hey uh, look, I’m exhausted, and I’m not sure if you sleep or anything, but I really need to sleep, so I’m just gonna head off to bed and deal with you in the morn - ah!” Your rambling is cut off, when Venom managed to rise to its feet and scoop you off the floor. You freeze up in its arms, your mind struggling to comprehend what’s happening.

Venom shambles towards your bedroom door, limping on its foot. It didn’t have to carry you. Guilt and disbelief strikes your heart.

“You shouldn’t be moving around,” You tell it. “You’ll make your wounds worse.”

A pained wheeze only comes out of his mouth, and he staggers into your room. It drags its feet over to your bed, and unceremoniously dumps you on it. You stare up at it, unsure. It stares back, expression unreadable. The worse thoughts flash across your mind. What in the world was this thing going to do to you now?

A few seconds only go by, but it felt like an eternity.

Much to your tremendous relief, it collapses right beside you on the bed. Wait, is that exactly a good thing? You didn’t even have a chance to scramble off when Venom throws a meaty arm over you, pulling you close to its chest. You squeak, too stunned to fight back. Is this happening. Is this really happening right now?

Like a scared rabbit trapped in a beast’s embrace, you play dead and hope to god this blows over.

Something like a purr rumbles from Venom’s chest. You can feel its claws running through your hair, lightly scratching your scalp. Electric shivers shoot down your spine. You don’t even know what to think anymore, but nostalgic grief makes you remember the way Eddie used to cuddle and touch you.

Why you’re even comparing this monster’s touch to your lost love is beyond you, but then again, it’s a surprise that you’re managing to cope with this insanity.

_**“Our morsel. Mine again. Ours.”** _

It goes on like this for the next few minutes, Venom repeatedly stroking your hair and muttering this mantra under its breath. You didn’t speak up, not wanting to break the monster’s drowsy spell. And you had to admit, being in its arms was…nice.

How long was it since you’ve been cuddled like this? You find yourself leaning into its chest, snuggling up besides it. Okay, maybe you were a _little_ touch starved. So touch starved that you’re actually okay with being in the arms of this deadly monster.

Eventually, Venom’s strokes stop, and his arms relax. Its breathing slows down, and its head sinks into the pillow.

It’s asleep.

You lie there, wide awake, for who knows who long. You didn’t dare move, because how would Venom react? It’s acting so…unpredictably. You should just wait it out. You resign yourself to this current fate. However, unlike how the media presented him - a bloodthirsty and savage monster - he hasn’t tried hurting you at all.

You feel so tiny, so tiny in the arms of this mammoth creature. In some weird way, you actually felt kind of safe. Your muscles loosen up and sleep seeps into your mind. You drift off into sleep, hugging the monster back.

When you close your eyes, you can practically imagine being in Eddie’s arms again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cuddles for dayyyyssss dude.


	3. a promise

He dreamt of you. 

It was the same pleasant and melancholic dream everytime. He would be lying in bed, back in that tiny and crappy apartment he hated so much, but it was okay, because he was with you. You would be sleeping besides him, quiet and content looking. But then, you would start crying. 

And each time Eddie reached out to wipe those tears away, his hand is awful and clawed, one that could only belong to a monster. When he looked down at his body, he would see nothing but inky and black skin, ripping with inhuman muscles. 

Then you would suddenly wake up, and the moment you laid eyes on him, you would start screaming. Screaming and screaming, until the dream gets drowned in black. 

Eddie isn’t a superstitious man, but he took this dream as an omen. A confirmation from the universe itself, that he should stay away from you. It was a painful decision he came to, and everyday he regrets leaving you behind. But he couldn’t let you see him like he is now. He feared, deep inside, you would react the same way in his reoccurring nightmares. Scared. Scared of him.

So, when he woke up, he thought he was back in that same dream again. Back in that crappy apartment, lying in bed with you. The dream is much more vivid, this time. Eddie can see the leak stains decorating the ceiling, clear as day. He instantly recognizes the L-shaped crack in the wall right behind you. There’s even that snowglobe on the desk night stand, a gift you gave to Eddie on one of your first few dates.

It all looked so familiar and so real, Eddie didn’t think what he was seeing is real. 

 _The same dream_. He thinks, a sad smile curling on his lips. A rush of love comes back to his veins, when he sees your sleeping face. Your expression is troubled, your brow furrowed in that way Eddie knows when you’re especially upset. A shaky and soft sob comes out of your mouth. A few tears begin streaming that your cheeks. 

Eddie reaches out to wipe them away. He gently rubs the tears away with a single thumb, tracing the corners of your lips. He wished this was real. He wished this wasn’t some dream. It was cruel that it was so realistic this time. The details are accurate, right down to how smooth your skin feels.  _Wait - wait a moment._  

It then occurs to him that he’s actually touching you. The warmth under his fingers confirms this reality. He can feel your warm breath, softly blowing against his skin. And that his body hurts like hell, but that’s not new. 

This isn’t a dream. 

Eddie shoots up from bed, ignoring the stabbing pain all over his body. He gapes at you, not quite believing this is real. Euphoria and joy seize his heart for a moment, but then it’s quickly replaced by raw fear. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here.

‘ ** _WE BELONG HERE. THEY BELONG TO US._** ’ A dark and roiling presence hisses in his head. Anger flares in Eddie’s eyes.

‘ _I told you never to come here!_ ’

‘ ** _THEY HELPED US. NURSED US. THEY CARE FOR US._** ’

‘ _We have to leave_.’

Just as Eddie rose to his feet, prepared to leap out the bedroom window, he hears your voice. 

“Eddie?”

He freezes up. Oh god. Should he flee, or give up the chase? He’s been away from you for so long. And now you’re here, so close and tangible and real, that he just wants to bury his face into the crook of your neck and hold you tight and never let go. Or, he could spare you from himself. He shouldn’t be so selfish. His mind is racing, struggling to reach a verdict. 

Before he could reach a conclusion, you speak again, voice so soft and faraway. 

“Eddie, I had the strangest dream last night. Or - or maybe I’m still dreaming.” A sleepy yawn comes out of you. He finally turns around. You’re sprawled on the bed, and your eyes are barely wide open. If you closed your eyes for longer than a few seconds, he was sure you’d just fall back asleep. Clumsily, you reach for him. “Stay, Ed? Just for now. Just for this dream. I know you’re not real…but since this is a dream, you won’t leave, right?”

To this, Eddie couldn’t bring himself to refuse you. Then again, he could never refuse you. Anything to bring that wonderful smile back on your face. He gently places himself on the edge of the bed, careful not to touch you. Your drowsy gaze is settled on him. He gazes back at you, drinking in every detail of your beautiful expression.

You look tired. Not just sleep-deprived tired, but tired of what life has thrown at you. Your eyes look dull with a deep settled grief. This twists something in his gut. He never meant to hurt you like  _that_.  It took every inch of his willpower not to gather you up in his arms and comfort you. 

“ _Handsome._ You’re still so handsome,” You mutter with a dreamy smile. “I thought I was starting to forget your face.”

Eddie stays quiet. He only watches you, tortured from the inside. Thankfully, your eyes start to flutter shut. 

“I missed you.” Your voice is so quiet, but Eddie catches the unmistakable sorrow in your voice. “Promise…you won’t leave again…” His eyes begin to burn, but tears don’t fall. All he can do is stay quiet and at least be at your side. Finally, you settle into even breathing, and your eyes stay shut. You’re asleep. 

Eddie lets himself smooth your hair. Lightly, he lowers himself to hiss your forehead. An animalistic urge - he chalks it up to Venom or his own feelings - nearly possessed him to engulf your lips, to smother you with kisses until the air leaves your lungs. He might’ve done this, if you didn’t stir.

Frightened, he quickly draws back. He rushes to the window and throws it open. 

Despite himself, he looks back at you. You look small and vulnerable, bundled up in this blankets. God, he wants nothing more than to crawl back under the covers with you. But he can’t. He can’t drag you into his new life. It might hurt you. It’d be easier to walk away and never come back. 

“ _Promise you won’t leave again_.”

Eddie shuts his eyes. He grips the window pane. He can never say no to you.

“We’ll come back.” He says, and that was a promise. Then, he jumps out the window, into the streets. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmh delicious angst. comments are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> owO what's this, what's gonna happen. comments please, they keep me going!


End file.
